Happy New Year! With all twelve months of 2009 behind us and the exciting potential of 2010 ahead, our dLife Viewpoints columnists and Blogabetes bloggers have offered up their thoughts on and memories of 2009.

"This past year showed the online voices of diabetes communities in full bloom, with support and inspiration only a mouse-click away. And 2009 was the year that pharma made the leap to become part of the online communities, adding their voices to the thousands of people with diabetes they were trying to reach. For me personally, it's been a year of tremendous growth (both emotionally and physically, with my first baby due in the beginning of 2010), and I'm excited to see where the next 12 months take us all." - Viewpoints Columnist Kerri Sparling, Generation D

"There were many exciting medical and technological changes in 2009. Some to note are:

"In 2008 adoption of social media among people touched by diabetes started taking off. In 2009, we saw an explosion! There were many more groups coming online and many more patients coming out of the 'diabetes closet' and joining social networks, tweeting about diabetes and making videos to help making sense of diabetes. We didn't focus on getting a World Diabetes Day doodle. Instead we turned to the diabetic community to get thousands of people participate in The Big Blue Test, turning it into the most successful viral initiative ever in diabetes. In 2010, we will continue to raise diabetes awareness and connect people touched by diabetes, while we wait for a cure." - Viewpoints Columnist Manny Hernandez, Hola Diabetes

by
Brenda Bell
As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the benefits that made it cost-effective for me to go with the real healthcare (HSA) plan rather than the phony (HRA) plan is that my company is now covering "preventative" medicines at $0 copay. The formulary for these, as stated by CVS/Caremark (my pharmacy benefits provider), covers all test strips, lancets, and control solutions. I dutifully get my doctor to write up prescriptions for all of my testing needs, submit...